Source: Women miners face limited access to capital and gender inequality – herald
Judith Phiri
Business Reporter
WOMEN miners in Gwanda have voiced concerns over the lack of access to financial capital, which they say hampers their production capacity and limits their ability to expand operations.
They are also calling for stronger protection systems to enable women to operate more effectively in a male-dominated sector.
During a recent fact-finding visit and public hearing conducted by the joint Portfolio Committee on Mines and Mining Development and the Thematic Committee on Gender and Development, women miners outlined several challenges.
These include limited access to finance, gender inequalities in asset ownership, difficulties in obtaining mining licenses and claims and the high capital requirements necessary for operational efficiency.
In Zimbabwe, women are increasingly participating in the mining sector, now representing approximately 13 percent of the workforce and contributing significantly to economic growth and community development.
Despite this, their involvement in actual production remains limited.
Gwanda District is rich in minerals such as gold, lithium and chrome. However, women’s participation in exploiting these resources remains minimal.
Ms Priscilla Masuku, a miner from Mthandazo Women Miners Association Trust and the Miners for Economic Development (Miners4ED) provincial secretary-general, explained the difficulties women face in securing financing.
“Women in mining often struggle to obtain loans or other forms of funding for equipment, technology, and essential resources,” she said.
“Most women cannot operate at full capacity because they lack the capital to fully fund their operations. We also lack collateral or security, which mainstream lenders require. We are appealing to the Government to develop new funding mechanisms that consider our circumstances so we can access finances and boost production.”
Ms Masuku highlighted that discrimination remains a significant obstacle, noting that many women operate under male miners and do not own their claims.
Another challenge, according to Ms Ruth Zulu, is the allocation of unproductive land.
“Many claims given to women are dry and yield little to no minerals,” she explained.
“We often refer to these as amasimu or munda (cropping fields) because they produce negligible minerals. Additionally, some claims are located far away in the bush of Filabusi, making access difficult for women.”
She added that the claims are often allocated to individuals already struggling financially, making it even harder for women to begin mining activities without adequate resources.
Lack of geological knowledge also hampers women’s ability to locate mineral belts, leading to neglected operations.
Ms Sibongile Sibanda emphasised the need for protection against attacks.
“Women miners are frequently targeted by machete gangs, which threaten our safety and hinder our ability to mine,” she said.
“We have been attacked multiple times, leaving some of us injured or even left for dead because we cannot afford security services.”
Roselyn Moyo, a young woman involved in mining, shared her experiences of abuse.
“As newcomers, we face exploitation and abuse from male counterparts,” she said.
“We often suffer physical and verbal abuse in public spaces. This industry’s harsh environment is normalising harmful gender norms, especially because there are insufficient laws and policies to protect women and girls.”
Moyo also called for training programs to empower women and youth in mining.
“We need proper mining training that covers safety, hazard recognition, emergency procedures, equipment operation, and risk management. This knowledge would enable us to operate independently and safely,” she explained.
The fact-finding mission also aimed to assess the implementation of the National Gender Policy within the mining sector and across the mineral value chain in Zimbabwe.
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